Hypercar of the Year: Pagani Huayra

Supreme performance and astonishing looks, there was only ever one contender for this award...

Back in 2003, Pagani felt that the Zonda was nearly done. He wanted to replace it with something completely different but that still pulled whatever clever trick it was that allowed the Zonda to blend nerdy science with passionate, automotive art. The Zonda didn't exactly come to a sudden halt though. While Pagani's imagination toyed with the Huayra, the company made the Zonda Roadster S, Zonda F, Zonda R, Zonda Cinque and Zonda Tricolore. Now, finally, and only when Pagani believed it was properly ready, the team has wheeled out the Huayra, named after a South American god of wind, on account of the consideration given to aerodynamics and stuff.

It's longer and wider and more powerful than the Zonda, using a specially designed AMG V12, making a huge 730bhp. But the headline figure is the torque: it has 738 of the buggers.